Body binder



D. KAPLAN BODY BINDER Sept. 3, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 28, 1966 F IG.3

FIG.4

FIG.7

INVENTOR DAVID KAPLAN ATTRNEYS Sept. 3, 1968 D. KAPLAN 3,399,669

BODY BINDER Filed Sept. 28, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fae.

INVENTOR. DAVID KAPLAN ATTORNEYS States This invention relates to body supports and binders. More particularly, the invention relates to binders specially designed to be worn on parts of the body adjacent regions having marked changes in contour. Back and kidney binders and rib binders for women are typical of such binders. This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 516,441 filed in the US. Patent Office on Dec. 27, 1965, now abandoned.

Rib binders are regularly used as supports about the rib cage for a wide variety of ailments. Chest expansion applies substantial pressure to the ribs, and this pressure is extremely painful to those having rib disorders. The binders are used to counteract the pressure of chest expansion on the ribs, and binders are generally prescribed for patients having a fracture of one or more ribs, for pleurisy sufferers, for those having pulled rib muscles, as well as for patients recovering from thoracic surgery.

Several rib binders have been designed for women, and many include a cut out section at the top so that they do not overlie the breasts. It is customary to use a binding along the edge of the cut out so as to reduce irritation to the skin at the lower region of the breasts.

Binders that encircle the lower back, kidneys and lower stomach give rise to other problems. Thus, the binders are continuously forced upwardly because of the tapered shape of the body from the hips to the waist. The condition is accentuated when the wearer is seated. The lower edge of the binder irritates the hips and is generally uncomfortable when worn for prolonged periods.

One important object of this invention is to provide an improved binder which will not irritate the skin.

Another important object of this invention is to provide a rib binder which is free of scams or stitching along the upper edge in contact with and which in part supports the breasts.

Yet another important object of this invention is to provide a binder which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Another important object of this invention is to provide a lower back, stomach and kidney binder which does not ride upwardly on or bind against the hips when worn, even when the wearer is seated.

Another important object of this invention is to provide a binder which may be worn by people of different sizes and which will stay in place and not ride up or down on the torso of the wearer.

To accomplish these and other objects, the binder of this invention includes an elongated body-encircling panel made of an elastic material. The panel is provided with a soft lining adapted to be worn immediately against the skin. Fastening means are provided at the ends of the panel and are adapted to be joined together at the front of the body when the ends of the garment overlap one another. At least one outside fold is formed in the panels, at the upper and/or lower edge, and the fold extends along and defines an edge for the panel with the soft lining exposed at the edge along the fold. When the garment is worn, the fold lies adjacent the region of the body that has rapidly changing contours.

These and other objects and features of this invention along with its incident advantages will be better understood and appreciated from the following detailed description of two embodiments thereof, selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a rib binder made in accordance with this invention shown as it is worn by a woman;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the rib binder on the womans torso;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the outer surface of the rib binder laid out flat;

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are cross-sectional views taken along the corresponding section lines in FIG. 3 with the thickness exaggerated for clarity;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the binder illustrating one feature of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a front view of a kidney-lower back-stomach binder constructed in accordance with this invention shown as it is worn by a man;

FIG. 9 is a three-quarter view of the binder of FIG. 8 on the mans torso;

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the outer surface of the binder of FIGS. 8 and 9 laid out flat; and

FIGS. 11 and 12 are cross-sectional views taken along the corresponding section lines in FIG. 10.

The rib binder shown in FIGS. 1-7 includes a panel 19 composed of two parallel strips 12 and 14 which are designed to encircle the body of the wearer about the ribs. Each of the strips 12 and 14 is made of an elastic webbing stretchable in a lengthwise direction; that is, in the encircling direction when the garment is closed about the body. The individual strips are not stretchable across their width. Thus, the diameter of the cylindrical garment formed by the strips is variable while the width of the encircling garment cannot exceed the fixed limit set by the sum of the panel widths, plus the space between them as limited by the stitching 16 which joins them together.

The stitching 16 which joins the strips to form the panel 1% is shown to be a row of faggoting stitching. The faggoting stitching 16 does not impair the action of the elasticity of the webbing, and the edges of the webbing may readily be stretched almost as if no stitching joined the adjacent edges. The faggoting stitching made of a cotton yarn or some similar material is not itself stretchable, and therefore the strips 12 and 14 may not be separated more than what is permitted by the length of the individual stitches. The faggoting stitching permits each strip to move transversely of the other strip, limited only by the length of the individual stitches, permits complete stretching of the two strips in their lengthwise direction, and permits the stretching of one strip relative to the other.

The manner in which one strip may move transversely with respect to the other is illustrated in FIG. 7. In that figure a portion of strip 12 is shown to overlap the edge 18 of the adjacent strip 14-. In that figure it will be noted that the faggoting stitching 18 readily permits this overlapping relationship without causing the edges to curl. It will also be appreciated from an inspection of that figure that one strip may be stretched while the other remains in an unstretched condition. Thus, strip 12 may be elongated while the strip 14 remains normal because of the disposition and size of the stitches which join the edge 18 of strip 14 and edge 20 of strip 12.

Each of the strips 12 and 14 made of an elastic webbing material is provided with an Helenca backing or lining 22 shown in FIGS. 4-6, which lining does not impede the stretch of the webbing and which is most comfortable against the skin. The lining serves several functions; it helps to retain the garment in place about the ribs; it serves as an anti-irritant along the upper edge of the garment as described below.

In FIG. 3 it will be noted that the upper corners 24 and 26 are folded over from the inside out so that the lining material 22 is exposed on the outside 28 of the panel 10 and covers the fold edges 39. Consequently, the edges 30 which are disposed immediately below the breasts as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, are soft and smooth and do not irritate or otherwise cause any soreness when it rubs against the skin. It will also be noted in FIG. 3 that the flaps 32 of the folds are stitched to the body of the binder by seams 34 along the lower edge of each flap, and consequently the stitching lies well below the breasts when the garment is worn. It is to be understood that if the stitching was higher on the binder adjacent the fold edges 30, the stitching which is relatively stiff could be irritating to the skin when the binder is worn. It is clear in FIG. 2 that the binder may literally support the breasts and contact the skin in a manner which would cause irritation if a rough or stiff material was used.

Each of the edges 30 is arcuate in shape, and the slope of each edge is steepest at the inner or top edge 36, and gradually reduces toward the outer or lower edge 38. The arcuate configuration of the edges 33 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 to conform to the lower line of the breasts from the region of the underarms to the center of the rib cage.

In construction, the upper strip 12 is rectangular just as is the lower strip 14, and after the two strips are attached, the corners 22 are folded down on the outside to form the flaps 32 and the arcuate edges 30. The seams 34 are subsequently stitched to permanently secure the flaps in place. The width of the flaps 32 along the edges 40 of the panel is approximately two-thirds the width of the upper strip 12, and consequently, the flaps at the outer edges of the panel cover approximately one-half of the edge of the lower strip 14. It will be appreciated that be cause the strips are made of an elastic webbing, the fold edges 30 may be formed with a curve by introducing differential stretching across the flaps 32. That is, the elasticity of the material allows the folds to be made along other than a straight line without causing the flap material to pucker.

The garment shown is provided with Velcro-type fasteners incorporated into each end of the panel. The end portion 42 of the panel is provided with three strips 44 which are sewn or otherwise incorporated into the fabric on the outer surface of the binder, while the end portion 46 is provided with three mating strips 48 on the inner surface. Consequently, when the ends of the panel overlap as shown in FIG. 1, the strips 44 and 48 interlock with one another to form a secure fastener to hold the binder in a body-encircling position. One set of the strips includes looped fibrous members which cooperate with hook-like members on the mating strips to releasably secure the two ends together.

When the binder is worn as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the double stiffness introduced into each end by the flaps 32 is multiplied by the overlapping relationship of the panels. Consequently, four-ply support is provided over the center of the rib cage to provide particularly stiff support at that location. About the sides and back of the wearer, the single-ply support is provided as is evident in FIG. 2.

From the foregoing description it is evident that the Helenca lining 22 not only covers the inside of the binder panel but in addition, covers the outside of the panel beneath the bosom. Consequently, the lining serves as a soft support for the skin when the breasts come in contact with the outside of the garment. In addition, the upper edges 30 of the folds which may be particularly irritating to the skin are also provided with the lining material as a cover to prevent any rubbing or chafing action. Further, the lining serves to retain the garment in place on the body sa that it does not slip up or down on the torso through movement or because of the contours of the torso. Still further, the cooperative relationship between the strips 12 and 14 caused by the faggoting stitching 16 which joins the strips together allows for relative movement of the different parts of the body without causing one section of the support to bind uncomfortably on the skin.

The embodiment of this invention shown in FIGS. 8-12 incorporates the features of the rib binder embodiment, but the folded over margin lies along the lower edge as opposed to the top edge. Thus, as is evident in FIGS. 8-10, the kidney-lower back-stomach binder is composed of a plurality of strips 60, 62 and 64 that together make up a body-encircling panel. Each of the strips is made of an elastic webbing stretchable in a lengthwise direction identical to the strips 12 and 14 of the rib binder. Further, the strips carry an Helenca backing or lining 66 as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, which lining does not impede the stretchable webbing and which is most comfortable against the skin. As in the rib binder embodiment, the lining helps to retain the garment in place, and it serves as an anti-irritant along the lower edge of the garment, about the hips.

The lower strip 64 is shown in FIG. 10 to be split at 68. As noted, the lower strip 64 is folded upwardly along an arcuate path on the outside, across almost the entire length of the binder so that the lining 66 on its inside is exposed on the outside. Because of the stretchable characteristic of the strip 64 and the character of the lining on it, differential stretching is permitted so that an arcuate seam 70 may join the lower edge of the strip 64 to the outside of the unfolded end portions of the strip 64 and the outside of strip 62. In addition, a pair of vertical seams 72 are provided along the break 68 at the center of the lower strip 64 to secure the edges in place. In the preferred form of the kidney-lower back-stomach binder, no stitching is provided along the folded edge 74 which could irritate the hips. However, if the entire strip 64 is folded at the center, a portion of the row of faggoting stitching 76 may appear adjacent the break 68, as the fold may reach that row. However, because that portion of the fold line 74 lies at the back, there is no sharp change in contour of the body against which the stitching could rub. It may be noted that a row of faggoting stitching 78 joins the upper strip 60 with the strip 62 so as to make possible the overlapping of the individual strips in the manner suggested in FIG. 7.

In FIGS. 8 and 9, it will be noted that about the sides of the torso and along the back, the panel of the binder is two strips wide because substantially the full width of the strip 64 is folded over at the back. Approaching the front of the torso, the binder is three strips wide so that it extends downwardly to the region of the pelvis. Thus, the binder can give support to the lower abdomen as well as the lower back and kidneys.

The ends 78 and 80 of the panel are secured together about the body by the fasteners 82. On the end 78 a tape 84 carries three parallel rows of eyes 86, and on the end 80, a tape 88 carries a row of hooks 90 adapted to engage any one of the rows 86 of eyes. Thus, the size of the garment may be varied by connecting the hooks to different rows of eyes. It is obvious that this type of fastener may be used in place of the Velcro-type fastener shown in the rib binder. The two are interchangeable.

From the foregoing description it is clear that the lower edge 74 of the binder will not irritate the hips because of the soft exposed lining 66. Further, the contour provided makes room for the hips and thereby inhibits the action of the hips tending to force the garment upwardly about the torso. While the lining itself prevents the garment from slipping, the folded portion reduces the upward pressure on the garment. It will also be appreciated that the manner in which the bottom edge is folded away markedly improves the comfort of the garment when the wearer is seated. The lower folded edge allows the hips and buttocks to spread, and the lower edge 74 does not irritate them. It will also be appreciated that the manner in which the lower strip is folded provides a double thickness about the back and kidneys of the wearer. Thus, additional support is derived at those areas where it is often needed.

From the foregoing description those skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous modifications may be made of the invention without departing from its spirit. Therefore, it is not intended that the scope of this invention be limited to the two embodiments illustrated and described. Rather, it is intended that the scope of the invention be determined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is: 1. A binder comprising an elongated body-encircling panel made of elastic material, said panel having a soft lining adapted to contact the skin of the wearer, fastening means secured to the ends of the panels and adapted to be joined together at the front of the body of the wearer, and at least one outside fold provided along one edge of the panel with the soft lining exposed at the edge along the fold. 2. A binder as defined in claim 1 further characterized y two folds being provided along one edge of the panel with one fold at each of the corners, said folds being adapted to lie immediately below the breasts when the garment is worn. 3. A rib binder as defined in claim 2 further characterized by the outer edges of the folds extend a substantial distance downwardly along the end edges of the panel to stiffen the ends thereof. 4. A rib binder as defined in claim 3 further characterized by the fastening means securing the ends of the panel together in overlapping relationship to form a four layer section at the front of the binder when worn. 5. A rib binder as defined in claim 2 further characterized by said panel being composed of a plurality of body-encircling strips joined together by faggotting stitching along the adjacent edges enabling the adjacent edges to move relative to one another. 6. A rib binder as defined in claim 5 further characterized by each of said strips being stretchable in a body-encircling direction and being nonstretchable in a widthwise direction. 7. A rib binder as defined in claim 2 further characterized by the top edge of the flap formed by the fold being free of stitching and the bottom edge of the fold being stitched to the main body of the panel. 8. A rib binder as defined in claim 2 further characterized by the top edge of the fold having a slope which gradually diminishes from the inner to the outer ends of the panel. 9. A rib binder as defined in claim 8 further characterized by the top edge of the flap formed by the fold being free of stitching and the bottom edge of the fold being stitched to the main body of the panel. 10. A rib binder as defined in claim 9 further characterized by said panel being composed of a plurality of body-encircling strips joined together by faggoting stitching along their adjacent edges enabling the adjacent edges to move relative to one another. 11. A rib binder as defined in claim 10 further characterized by the outer edges of the folds extend a substantial distance downwardly along the end edges of the panel to stiffen the ends thereof. 12. A binder as defined in claim 1 further characterized by said panel being composed of a plurality of body-encircling strips joined together by faggoting stitching along their adjacent edges enabling the adjacent edges to move relative to one another. 13. A binder as defined in claim 12 further characterized by the lowermost strip being folded upwardly over a substantial portion of its width intermediate the ends of the strip with the width of the fold diminishing toward the ends of the strip. 14. A binder as defined in claim 13 further characterized by the edge of the fold defining an arcuate lower edge for the panels.

References Cited 1908 Great Britain. 12/ 1964 Switzerland.

LAWRENCE W. TRAPP, Primary Examiner. 

1. A BINDER COMPRISING AN ELONGATED BODY-ENCIRCLING PANEL MADE OF ELASTIC MATERIAL, SAID PANEL HAVING A SOFT LINING ADAPTED TO CONTACT SKIN OF THE WEARER, FASTENING MEANS SECURED TO THE ENDS OF THE PANELS AND ADAPTED TO BE JOINED TOGETHER AT THE FRONT OF THE BODY OF THE WEARER, 